In a punishing schedule yesterday, Brown spoke to the Royal British Legion in Glenrothes, Fife, then at a 1000-strong rally in Glasgow organised by former Labour MP Mohammad Sarwar, now governor of the Punjab in Pakistan.

Brown said: “Last Monday, I proposed a timetable for new powers for a stronger Scottish Parliament within the UK, which all the pro-devolution parties in Westminster and Holyrood agreed with.

“I have now been allocated an adjournment debate in the House of Commons for Thursday, October 16, which will set in motion our promise of delivering new powers to the Scottish Parliament.

“At meeting after meeting, morning, afternoon and evening, I will be stating clearly what I know is the truth: That because of the continuation of the Barnett allocation for resources and the powers of the Scottish Parliament to raise revenue, the final power to decide on how much is spent on the NHS every year rests with the Scottish Parliament.

“Under the Scotland Act 1998, the SNP already had the power to raise an extra £1000million in tax to help pay for the NHS in Scotland.

“Had they wanted to use it, the SNP could have raised the Scottish healthcare budget from £12billion to £13billion.

“Under the Scotland Act 2012 – already passed by the UK Parliament – they could add £2billion to the Scottish NHS budget from 2016, increasing it from £12billion to £14billion.

“What they will not tell you is that as a result of my proposals this week for a timetable for further devolution, the Scottish Parliament would be given new powers to increase funding for the NHS by even more.

“The SNP must admit they are wrong to say the Scottish Parliament are powerless to prevent the NHS being underfunded and admit that, in future, without leaving the UK, the Scottish Parliament have all the powers they need to fund the NHS in Scotland.

“If the SNP really cared about funding the NHS, they would make sure the £1billion extra Scotland receives from being part of the UK was safeguarded by rejecting independence.

“Let no-one be in any doubt that the decision to keep the NHS in public hands and prevent privatisation also lies with the Scottish Parliament, who have full control over our health service.

“The Scottish Parliament can keep the NHS in public hands and increase the funding of the NHS if they choose to do so.

“With the powers they have, the Scottish Parliament can guarantee that the NHS remains universal, free at the point of need, publicly owned and properly funded.

“If the Nationalists are not prepared to guarantee this, they should make way for Labour, who will.

“It comes down to who you believe: The Labour Party, who created the NHS, built the NHS, saved the NHS, raised taxes to pay for the NHS; or the SNP, who have never raised a penny in revenue to fund the NHS – even when they have the power to do so.

“The truth is that the SNP don’t wake up in the morning with a plan to save the NHS.

“The SNP wake up in the morning with a plan to use the NHS – as a battering ram to achieve the real ambition of a separate state.”